Pistol holster



Dec. 11, 1951 s. w. ADAMS 2,577,369

PISTOL HOLSTER Filed Oct. 24, 1949 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 l6 SUMNER W. ADAMS attorneys Dec. 11, 1951 s; w, ADAMS 2,577,869

PIToL HOLSTER 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed 001;. 24, 1949 SUMNER w. oms

Zinoentor nZd attorneys Patented Dec. 11, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PISTOL HOLSTER.

Sumner W. Adams, Sequim, Wash.

Application October 24, 1949, Serial No. 123,241

4 Claims. (Cl. 224-22) This invention relates to a pistol holster that is particularly adapted for the cross body type of drawing and is provided with spring actuated means for locking the gun in the holster, thus giving security to the gun, even though the holster itself is normally provided with one side which is substantially open throughout its length to facilitate quick drawing. In order to achieve this result, a depending spring is provided at the top of the holster which is adapted to engage normally under the hammer spur or, in the case of certain automatic types of pistols, it might also engage under a suitable projection on the slide or frame of the gun. The gun is held upwardly in contact with this securing means by a spring disposed in the muzzle end of the holster, which constantly urges the gun upwardly. To further provide for security of the arm, a U-shaped spring is provided to engage the arm around the cylinder in the case of a revolver, or around a similar portion of the arm in case of the automatic type of pistol.

Long experience by police oflicers and by military personnel in warfare has indicated certain basic requirements in a pistol holster. A pistol normally is a defensive weapon. It is intended for use normally at relatively short ranges, and the time when it is desired for use usually comes without warning, consequently there is an urgent need for a holster that will provide a positioning means for a one hand weapon in which the handle or grip will, at all times, be held in a definite position, so that the owner may reach for his gun with the assurance that it will always be in exactly the same place. It next follows that the owner must be able to draw his gun and point it at his target with the least possible loss of time. Here again long experience has proved that the cross body draw is normally the fastest possible way of getting a gun into action, as the gun need be moved but a very short distance to be fired and it normally does not have to have the direction of the gun's bore changed very much.

There is still another condition which the law enforcement officer, particularly, is early confronted with; that is, the need, as a peace officer, to avoid unnecessary force and, in order to avoid public criticism particularly, the peace ofiicer almost invariably has been schooled to wait till the very last moment in drawing his weapon, and to draw the same only when all other means have failed. As a result of this principle, that has been more or less forced upon the law enforcement ofiicer by a critical public, many times the law enforcement ofiicer will actually be physically engaged with his adversary before he has a chance to draw his weapon, and in the rough-and-tumble of a physical combat, it is again very essential that the weapon will always remain where it is supposed to be, so that when the opportunity presents itself, the ofi'icer can draw his gun with certainty. Then, too, it is desirable that the adversary will not be able to draw the ofiicers gun during any physical encounter. In the spring locking arrangement, while not proof positively against an antagonist who may know how the; holster operates, it is easily proved that very simple means are available to the ofiicer to protect his gun and to prevent, by slight movement of his left arm, anyone from drawing his weapon.

In the past a large number of holsters have been designed and the majority of them by men of long experience, each of them endeavoring to provide a solution of this problem. A careful study, however, of those holsters that have had enough commercial success to be in general usage, discloses that, while they have definitely provided some of the desirable characteristics by one means or another, none of them has fully met the problem. This present holster, it is believed, has taken fully into account the hundreds of experiences of police officers and military people and has provided one very practical solution of this problem, therefore:

The principal object of this present invention is to provide a combat holster of the cross body draw type wherein the gun is most advantageously positioned and held in that position, not only on the wearers belt, but the gun itself is secured by associated spring securing means, so that the gun cannot be displaced from the holster, and thus will always be in the desired position.

A further object of this invention is to provide an actuating spring which forces the pistol upwardly into engagement with the securing means, so that the natural downward sweep of the hand, as it engages the grip of the pistol, will automatically actuate the releasing means and, due to the resiliency of the actuating spring, greatly assist in the quick drawing of the weapon.

A further object of this invention is to provide a pistol holster that gives the pistol adequate protection, yet which is open along one side for convenient and quick drawing of the weapon. The weapon is held in this position by a plurality of spring securing means.

Further objects, advantages and capabilities will be apparent from the description and disclosure in the drawings, or may be comprehended or are inherent in the device.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view to represent a peace officer wearing a holster made after the teachings of this invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary, perspective view, partly in section, and with certain parts broken away to illustrate the securing means disposed at the top of the holster;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view, partly in section and partly broken away, to

3 illustrate the heavy spring that grips the pistol at about the level of the trigger;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view, partly in section, illustrating the means employed at the bottom of the holster to provide the upward urgence required to make the locking secure;

Figure 5 is a vertical, sectional view through a holster made after the teaching of this invention, and showing, in outline form, a revolver secured in the locked position therein;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5, but showing the revolver as being depressed and released from the upper locking means;

Figure '7 is a vertical plan view of the centrally disposed spring employed to hold the gun securely in the holster, the same being shown in its normal position, not under stress;

Figure 8 illustrates the same spring as shown in Figure 7, just as it would occur with a gun in place, and further, bent on its principal leg, as

will occur worn on a belt, the belt outline being and provides a satisfactory housing for the elevator spring 20. The elevator spring is shown in considerable detail in Figure 4 and in its functional phases in Figures 5 and 6. In reference particularly to Figure 4 it will be noted that the elevator spring 20 forms an almost complete D shape. A base portion as 22 is provided and formed from it are the two attachment lugs 24 and 26 which are pierced for rivets, as 28 and 29. These rivets pass through and secure the spring to the rolled portion of holster and the back portion, respectively. The spring beyond the base portion is preferably covered with resilient material. Leather is quite satisfactory, as well as many of the other resilient materials, such as plastics and various forms of rubber or rubber substitutes. After leaving the base portion 22, the spring follows a semi-circular course and then has a step at 30. This step has a very definite function in holding the muzzle end of the pistol in position. This is illustrated quite clearly in Figures 5 and 6. To provide for the centering of the gun muzzle on step 30, a sloping portion 3| is provided at the extreme end of spring 20. This portion 3| tends to prevent the front sight of the gun from sliding or catching on the leather of the holster, and effectively prevents wearing the finish off the top of the sight.

At its upper end the holster is provided with a partial cap 32. This cap, as will be noted in Figures 1 and 2, has a top portion 34 and a skirt portion 36, which extend entirely around the rear half of the holster top, being relieved or indented at a central portion 38, so that it just gives clearance for the butt or the frame of the gun, whichever is uppermost. This cap has, as one function, the stiffening of the upper part of the holster so that latch member 40 may be securely anchored. Referring now to Figure 2, it is noted that the leather forming the back and front portions of the holster is brought in to form a covering 44 for the portion of the holster covered by the cap, and latch 40 is riveted to the upper surface of this cover. The actual gun engaging portion of the latch is bent downwardly at 42 and passes through a slit in this covering 44. In order to give adequate bearing and positive positioning of latch 40, there is provided a second metal member, a a stiifener46. This lies on top of latch 40 and is secured fixedly to it by the same rivet 48, which secures latch 40 in place. By having thisstifi'ener of considerable extent, after the showing of the drawings, a marked degree of stiffness is provided, so that the latch member will be held definitely in position and can be depended upon to fully serve its intended purpose. Cap 32 overlies the inner covering 44 and provides a cover for the stiffener 46, and hides rivet 48 so that a neat, finished appearance is provided. This arrangement has a secondary function, which is very desirable, in that it gives the gun a great deal of protection from the elements, but more particularly from dirt or leaves or twigs or other refuse that might sift into the holster and cause a mal-functioning of the weapon at a critical time.

Disposed intermediate the two ends of the holster and on the position of normal greatest thickness is the cylinder or body spring 50. When used with a revolver, this spring should encircle the cylinder itself, and when used with the so-called automatic pistol, it should grip the substantial part of the gun which normally is in the vicinity of the trigger assembly. This spring, in repose, takes the form shown in Figure '7, and as it is normally formed of metal which might injure the weapon, it is covered as with the stitched-on covering 52, which serves admirably for securing the spring in its desired functional position.

The general purpose of spring 50 is to hold the gun securely in place, but not to lock it in place, as that is the function of latch 40 and the elevator spring 20. However, these two members could not of themselves hold the gun accurately in position and it requires a resilient member keeping the gun in a substantial grip to provide this exact positioning which is so essential in a holster of'this order. In order that the spring may accept the cylinder of a revolver without undue friction, fiuting is provided at the curve entry portion 54. In Figure 8, spring 52 is shown with its two legs spread in about the position it would assume in holding a gun in place. This spring has a further use. It will be noted that the longer leg of the spring 56 has but a slight inward curve as shown in Figure '7, which is the spring in repose. Referring to Figure 8, the general conformation of a person's body is indicated by the lines 58 which, in this particular showing, is also the position of the wearer's belt that is used to support the holster. Now it has been found that, when the belt is in place supporting the holster and the same has been tightened, as it needs to be for use, then it places an additional inward bend in leg 56 and this firmly secures the holster against longitudinal movement along the wearers belt.

For the most satisfactory use the holster should be positioned so as to hold the butt of the gun in about the position shown in Figure 1. In this position the forearm is slightly raised as it is passed over the body and the belt loops 60 are positioned to place the butt 62 of the gun in the optimum position. However, it is desirable that the plane of the belt loops or tunnel will be such as to overlie a portion of spring 50, so that binding effect of the spring can be used to secure the holster in position, as previously pointed out.

Method of operation Throughout the drawings the holster is shown in a form desirable for a right-handed man. A left-handed man would, of course, use the reverse of this structure. In using the revolver holster, the operator moves the forearm up across the body so the hand can engage the top of the gun butt. He needs to use, approximately, a four pound pressure in a downward direction, thus compressing the elevator spring 20. This action will disengage the hammer spur from behind latch 42. As the downward pressure must, of necessity, be applied to the gun butt and as the butt is offset from the line of the barrel, the gun will move toward the open face of the holster, being retarded in this movement by the cylinder spring 50. At this point in the withdrawing operation, the elevator spring exerts an upward force of several times the pressure originally applied, due to its continued compression and tends to throw the butt further out the open face of the holster. The operator, completing his manual movement, now completely withdraws the gun from the holster and swings it around to the position of use.

The gun restoration is just the reverse of the extraction. Ihe user restores the revolver by inserting the muzzle of the gun into the skirt iii of the holster, shoving the gun inwardly and downwardly and at the same time raising the butt. The muzzle of the gun will be centered onto the step 38 of the elevator spring 2i], and applying continuous downward pressure compresses the elevator spring Zd sufiiciently so that thehammer spur will now pass under latch 42. The user at this point can release the pressure on the gun and the elevator spring '28 applies the necessary lifting force to position the spur of the hammer 5d behind latch 42, and the gun is then in its fully restored position, assuming the position indicated in Figure 5. Figure 6 may be accepted as the showing of the gun either just as the gun is being given the final motion of being restored, or just as it is being released from latch $2. In both operations the elevator spring 20 is compressed substantially as shown in Figure 6. With the gun in the position shown in Figure 5, it is adequately held in position and then any jar or shock or disturbance that may upset the user causes the springs, even though they are displaced slightly to fully seat the gun in its proper position. It is desired to call attention to the fact that the withdrawal of the gun or the restoration of the gun is strictly a one-handed operation and employs only the hand which will grip and use the gun.

It is believed that it will be clearly apparent from the above description and the disclosure in the drawings that the invention comprehends a novel construction of a pistol holster.

Having thus disclosed the invention, I claim:

1. In a holster of a shape to enclose all but the butt of a pistol, having an open forward edge for cross-body drawing of a pistol therein, the improvement comprising: an elevator spring,

' formed of a strip of resilient metal bent substantially in the shape of a D but not connected at one end, positioned in the base of the holster, one side of the D being above the other side and the free ends of the sides directed to the rear, the lower side being secured to the holster, and the upper side having a downward step and an upturned end, the upper side resisting downward motion of the end of the barrel of a pistol in the holster; a vertical latch positioned in the upper end of the holster preventing direct forward movement of the hammer spur of a pistol when the hammer spur is positioned between the vertical latch and the rear of the holster; and a strip of resilient metal bent substantially in the shape of a U positioned in the holster with the legs of the U directed forward and the legs positioned to bear on opposite sides of a pistol in the holster above the barrel, the end of the outer leg being curved outwardly.

2. In a holster of a shape to enclose all but the butt of a pistol, having an open forward edge for cross-body drawing of a pistol therein, the improvement comprising: an elevator spring, formed of a strip of resilient metal bent substantially in the shape of a U, positioned in the base of the holster, one side of the U being above the other side and the free ends of the sides directed to the rear, the lower side being secured to the holster, the upper side resisting downward motion of the end of the barrel of a pistol in the holster; a latch positioned in the upper end of the holster, preventing direct forward movement of the hammer spur of a pistol when the hammer spur is engaged by said latch; and a strip of metal bent substantially in the shape of a U positioned in the holster with the legs of the U directed forward and said legs being adapted to bear on opposite sides of a pistol in the holster above the barrel.

3. In a holster of a shape to enclose all but the butt of a pistol, having an open forward edge for cross-body drawing of a pistol therein, the improvement comprising: a latch positioned in the upper end of the holster for latching the hammer spur of a pistol in the holster preventing movement directly forward; a sprin positioned in the lower end of the holster to resist downward movement of the lower end of the barrel of a pistol in the holster; and a U-shaped spring positioned in the holster to bear on the sides of a pistol in the holster above the barrel.

4. In a holster of a shape to enclose all but the butt of a pistol, having an open forward edge for cross-body drawing of a pistol therein, the improvement comprising: an elevator spring, formed of a strip of resilient metal bent substantially in the shape of a D but not connected at one end, positioned in the base of the holster, one side of the D being above the other side and the free ends of the sides directed to rear, the lower side being secured to the holster, and the upper side resisting downward motion of the end of the barrel of a pistol in the holster; a vertical latch positioned in the upper end of the holster, preventing direct forward movement of the hammer spur of a pistol when the hammer spur is positioned between the vertical latch and the rear of the holster; and spring means positioned in the holster to bear on the sides of a pistol in the holster above the barrel.

SUMNER W. ADAMS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 981,292 Lewis Jan. 10, 1911 1,148,935 Snavely Aug. 3, 1915 2,037,132 Hoyt Apr. 14, 1936 2,088,811 Ray Aug. 3, 1937 

